Chapter 7: MI and the Classroom Environment

Not only is it necessary to teach to the multiple intelligences, it is necessary to organize, arrange and decorate a classroom keeping them in mind. A classroom should be set up with many things to stimulate each intelligence. This could mean having pictures on the walls, pets in the room, music in the background, or many other intelligence-stimulating surroundings. But it is not only about how the classroom appears, but also how time is managed, how the teacher speaks, and how students are exposed to experiences. Activity centers can be placed around the room and may be permanent or temporary. Have sketchpads and paints at a spatial area, headphones and CDs at a musical area, clay at a kinesthetic station, anything to help stimulate students’ intelligences. In my mind, the set up of my classroom will be very important. The classrooms I functioned the best in were always ones that had an area for me to feel comfortable in, whether that be a beanbag over by the bookshelf or an area for me to spread out my work and get organized. I hope to create a classroom in which all students feel stimulated and comfortable.